Methanol, the simplest of the alcohols, is a highly desirable substance which is useful as a fuel, as a solvent, and as a feedstock in the manufacture of more complex hydrocarbons. In accordance with the method of methanol manufacture that is currently practiced in the petroleum industry, methane is first converted to synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The synthesis gas is then converted over an alumina-based catalyst to methanol. The formation of synthesis gas from methane is an expensive process.
As will be apparent, methane and methanol are closely related chemically. Methane comprises a major component of natural gas and is therefore readily available. Despite the advantages inherent in producing methanol directly from methane, no commercially viable system for doing so has heretofore been developed.